Magical Accidents: Defenders of Dreams
by Pikminman101
Summary: James has just managed to save Lisette Vertorre and Lieselotte Werckmeister, two girls he loves dearly, from an unfair fate. However, it would seem that James's troubles are far from over. Now with a budding relationship, he must help Yumeji in his quest to send Merry Nightmare back to the Dream World. Rated M for language, some violence, and possible lemons in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Yumekui Merry. All rights belong to Ushiki Yoshitaka.**

**After several months, I am back once more. For those of you who have read my previous story, Past and Future Collide, then hopefully you know this will be a continuation of that story. And for those who have stumbled upon this little story and have not read the last one, I highly recommend you read that one first.**

******James's troubles are far from over. He has managed to save Lisette Vertorre and Lieselotte Werckmeister from their unfair deaths, and now they are in a budding relationship. While the end of the last story made it appear as if the relationship was rushed, just know that I will do my best to develop their relationship as much as I can. So, without further adieu, let the story begin.**

* * *

Chapter 1: A Fatal Mistake - Part 1

(dream vision)

A young Yumeji, no more then five years old or so, was running. He was running from something, but he could not see what it was that he was running from. He looked over his shoulder, but he could barely make out the silhouette of a man before he turned back around so as to see where he was running. As his feet struck the ground with each step, he grew more and more worried that he would not be able to escape the creature that was after him. After what felt like hours of running though, Yumeji eventually saw a large gate in front of him. He ran up to the gate, and began pulling on it with all his might, but the doors of the gate would not budge. He looked back over his shoulder, and saw that the figure was getting closer; it was deliberately moving slowly and unnerving Yumeji as he desperately pulled at the doors of the gate. As the figure drew closer, it spoke in a overly calm and twisted voice, "My boy, there is no point in running. Even if you leave now, it will not matter. In the end, you will serve your purpose. It is your destiny, my son. It is your destiny to help me free us from this cruel World of Dreams, free all Dream Demons that lerk here, and allow them to escape into the World of Reality."

Yumeji didn't listen, and continued in his desperate attempt to open the door. He began to cry from the desperation of getting the gate to open, and then he screamed. That scream was filled with his fear of this creature that was slowly stalking toward him, and it was that fear that made him want to continue running. However, when Yumeji screamed, his entire right eye unknowing changed into something else entirely. What was normally a plain brown eye with a white pupil was now nothing but a pure white orb. In the instant this eye became that blank white orb, an unbelievable energy was released. The figure actually stopped in his approach, and only watched as the young child unleashed the power he was destined to use to destroy the Gatekeeper. As that energy was released, the gate before the young Yumeji started to open slowly. Even as the doors opened, they seemingly fought against the motion, as if something about them was trying to fight the immense power being released. Regardless, the gate could not resist that unbelievable power, and eventually opened all the way, giving way to a blank white space beyond it. But, the moment the gate was open, Yumeji's eye returned to normal. He had unleashed so much energy all at once, and his body wasn't ready for the backlash of that power. His entire body began to stand listlessly, but was slowly leaning forward, toward the white expanse beyond the gate. As Yumeji succumbed to unconsciousness and fell into the whiteness, he could hear the voice of the figure say, "Well, my son, you have delayed your destiny for a time. However, it will not matter in the end. The Gatekeeper will eventually find you, and when she does, she will try to bring you back to our world. When she tries to do so, I will be waiting. I will hurt her, and then you will bring her back to me so that we may finally destroy her and her infernal Gate. Until that time though, enjoy your time in the Real World."

* * *

(Saturday morning - 7:45 a.m. - Yumeji's P.O.V.)

I shot up from my bed, breathing heavily after what I had just seen. That dream...felt far too real. Something about it just didn't seem right, almost as if it weren't a dream at all. I just sighed, and brought a hand to my forehead so as to try and calm down. "I need to calm down," I told myself, "It's only a dream." However, I knew all too well now that dreams were far more then that. Now, I knew dreams were more of a battlefield then anything. But, I needed to calm down and not worry too much. I wouldn't be able to help anyone if I got all worked up over one strange dream.

After performing my morning rituals and getting dressed, I made my way downstairs for breakfast. I already saw Isana and Merry enjoying their breakfast, as well as the cat that John Doe was using as his vessel eating out of his bowl. As I sat down, Isana smiled at me and asked, "Good morning, Yumeji-kun. How did you sleep?"

I looked at her for a moment, considering how I should answer that question. I didn't want to worry her, but at the same time knew it might be better if she knew what I had dreamt of so she could help me get passed it. My feelings for not making her worry though won out, and I smiled at her as I said, "I slept just fine, Isana-chan."

Isana looked at me for a moment, and all I could do was smile oddly at her while I began to wonder if she would figure out if I was lying. However, she only nodded and continued to eat her breakfast. After we had all eaten, Merry and Isana changed into their maid outfits for their job working in the café that Isana's dad ran downstairs. I even helped out so as to not be a burden. After all, it was only fair that I pulled my own weight and helped them when I could.

After a few hours the lunch rush had come and gone, so I took a seat at one of the tables and tired to gather my thoughts on the dream I'd recently had. So much of it didn't make sense to me. I had no memories of such a thing happening to me in the past, though at this point that wasn't much to go on since I was beginning to question a lot of my memories. Finally, after a few moments of contemplation, I stood up and stated, "I'm going out. I'll be back later."

Just as I was about to go out the door though, Merry grabbed my shoulder and said to me in her usual tone of voice, "Not without me, you're not." I looked at her for a moment, and saw that she was already back in her normal attire. I could see a determined look on her face, and knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer. So, all I did was nod, and with that we left the restaurant.

(third person P.O.V.)

Yumeji and Merry had barely walked a block away from the café when Merry looked at Yumeji and asked in a knowing tone, "So, what did you dream about last night?"

Yumeji looked at Merry in slight surprise, but continued trying to deny anything. "Merry, I didn't dream about anything. Nothing important anyway."

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from on the wall above them, "You should not hide any information, boy. No matter how trivial, this information could help us uncover the truth behind all that has been happening."

Both Yumeji and Merry were shocked to hear the voice, and looked up at the wall, but sighed when they saw it was simply John Doe. "What are you doing, John?"

The cat just jumped down from the wall, landing between Yumeji and Merry, then looked at Yumeji and stated, "I could tell that you were lying to the girl this morning, and figured it was more then likely so as to ensure she does not worry. Now that it is only us, there is no cause to hide anything."

Yumeji looked down at John for a moment, but the cat's eyes were unwavering, the odd pattern of his stitch-like pupils holding a level of curiosity. So, Yumeji simply sighed, then began to explain what he had dreamt about, leaving nothing out at all. When he was finished, John and Merry shared a look. "Most curious," John stated. "You say it was a younger you, yet you recall no such thing happening in your youth?"

Yumeji nodded and said, "That's exactly it. I've only ever seen the real Dream Gate once before, when Merry went crazy because she thought I was dead during the fight against Heracles. But in that dream, the Gate looked completely fine, not damaged at all."

John seemed to be considering this new information, before he continued saying, "Well, we will have to leave it be for now. Without more information to go off of, there is no point in chasing after the truth behind this dream. Though, something about it might help us figure out your connection to the Gatekeeper in the future."

After that, the three did not say anything else for some time. There were far more pressing matters of concern at the moment. Mainly, what had happened at the sports festival with the mysterious appearance of that Nightmare. It had just appeared out of thin air, and then left almost as quickly as it had come. Oddly enough, only a short time before the Nightmare had appeared, Yumeji felt a small pain go through his right wrist, almost like a sort of warning. And for whatever reason, this pain happened to go through the exact spot where Yumeji had gotten cut when he caught Isana when she fell from a jungle gym all those years ago. The same spot that Merry just so happened to have a scare on.

Yumeji was brought out of his thoughts when Merry suddenly pulled on his shirt sleeve, getting his attention. When he looked at her, she simply pointed over his shoulder and said, "How about we go to the park. It might do us some good to not worry about Dream Demons and strange dreams, for a little while at least."

Yumeji looked over at the park Merry had pointed out, and simply nodded in agreement. He did feel that it might do him some good to unwind and relax. And he did not really want to think about that dream anymore then he absolutely had to. So, he simply smiled and nodded to Merry as he replied, "That sounds like a great idea, Merry. It would do us some good to just relax, if only for a little bit." With that, Merry and Yumeji made their way toward the park. Not exactly having anything else to do, and not wanting to return to the house just yet, John Doe decided to follow at their heels.

* * *

Once they were in the park, Yumeji was slightly surprised to see that there weren't any kids in the park. Given that it was a weekend, he was almost certain that there would be a few kids here. It didn't bother him, but at the same time did feel slightly odd.

As Yumeji, Merry and John walked through the park, Yumeji suddenly got a strange feeling in his gut that something wasn't quite right. However, before he could voice his concerns, John decided to speak up. "I am still somewhat unfamiliar with the way you humans dress yourselves, but I almost certain that you do not dress up quite like that."

Yumeji and Merry both stopped, and Merry proceeded to ask, "What are you talking about, Cat Mask?"

John simply nudged his head toward a park bench and stated, "Those two on that bench seem to stand out rather well. I am surprised you two didn't see them right away."

Both Yumeji and Merry looked at the bench John had pointed out, and the two blinked a few times in confusion. Sitting on the bench were two people: a boy and a girl. They looked like they could have been just another couple out for a walk or something, if it weren't for what they looked like. The boy wore normal clothes and had pitch black hair, but looked absolutely massive. Even sitting down, it was clear he was outrageously tall, and had a body that would have put most pro weightlifters to shame. The girl was absolutely tiny compared to the boy she sat beside, but also appeared to have a normal height. However, what really stood out about her was her clothes: she was wearing a fancy looking dress, headband, dress shoes, and there was a bow tied around her neck. If that wasn't odd enough, every last article of clothing the girl was wearing was pure white, which seemed to match her unnaturally white hair.

As he looked at the two, Yumeji couldn't help but agree with John. Those two people did really stand out. Suddenly, Yumeji felt a familiar pain go through his right wrist, making his eyes go wide in surprise. Almost in the same moment, Merry stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, but did manage to right herself at the last moment. John watched all this with an indifferent expression, but given that his vessel was a cat that was no surprise. Yumeji and Merry though, looked at each other with shock and confusion.

(Merry's P.O.V.)

I didn't understand what had just happened. One moment I was looking at those two people and thinking how they were oddly dressed, and the next I had nearly fainted just from looking at them. After I had managed to right myself, I looked at Yumeji in shock and confusion. After a few minutes, I had to ask him, "Yumeji, what just happened?"

He looked at his wrist for a second, then back at the two people before finally looking at me and answering, "I'm...not sure. But, I think I might know what this is all about."

He proceeded to make a ring out of his fingers, just like he did when we were looking for Dream Demons, and brought the rings to his eyes. He was looking at the boy and girl for a while, before lowering his hands, a grave expression on his face. The expression on his face worried me, and I could not stop myself as I said, "Yumeji?"

He just lowered his head and stated, "They...are Dream Demons."

The moment he said those words, I knew it was time to do my duty. I looked down at Cat Mask, and he simply gave me a nod of understanding. He knew what I needed of him, and he wasn't about to object. So, without another word, I began to walk toward the boy and girl on the bench. Once I was close enough that I knew they would hear me, I shouted at them, "Stop right there, Nightmares!"

After I had shouted at the two people, both of them turned to face me, finally allowing me to see their eyes. The girl's eyes were a gentle blue, but looked a little red and slightly puffy, as if she had been crying recently, but all the same I had to admit she did look really cute. The boy though, his eyes were...different; they shown like polished silver, but something about them radiated kindness and helpfulness, almost as if he were a perfectly kind and friendly person.

The girl stayed silent but for the gentle sound of whimpering that I heard from her. The boy however, tilted his head slightly and asked, "Excuse me but, what did you just call me?"

However, I didn't even bother in replying. I looked down at Cat Mask, and he simply gave me another nod. Suddenly, the entire scene changed. The park vanished, and in its place were several buildings of varying sizes. The sky was normal, but hovering there were extremely large fish skeletons. I looked to my right, and saw Yumeji with a determined look on his face. I looked to my left, and saw Cat Mask in his real form: a tall man wearing white gloves and a black suit of some kind, a tattered red cloak with the hood over his head with small metal points like cat ears sticking up from the hood, his mask on as always and set with a strange and curious smile, and in his hand was his guillotine sword. I looked down at my right hand, and smiled as I saw the key ring in my hand. I looked up at the two people who were now standing up and looking at everything with a mix of emotions. I then pointed at them and said, "I'm Yumekui Merry, and now I'm going to kick your butts right back to the Dream World."

(third person P.O.V.)

When Merry had said that she was going to send the Dream Demons back to the Dream World, things started to get strange for the three. The girl was looking at everything with fear in her eyes, not understanding anything that was going on. When her eyes settled on John though, her eyes widened in absolute terror and she screamed as she held onto the boy and began to cry into his chest. "James, I'm scared. What is this place? Who are those people? Why is there a demon here to kill us? What was that girl talking about when she said she would send us back to the 'Dream World'?"

The boy, who was apparently named James, simply looked at Merry, John and Yumeji, with curiosity on his face as he examined them. It was as if gears were turning in his head as the environment and people sparked something in his head. Suddenly, a part of James seemed to realize what was going on, and he shook his head as he said, "Lisette, we need to go, now. If these are who I think they are, then we are being accused of being the bad guys."

At this statement, the girl who was apparently named Lisette freaked even more and held on even tighter to James. James then looked at the three people who were facing him and said, "I don't know what you think we are, but please understand we are not Dream Demons. We are not Dream Demons, nor have we ever been the vessels of Dream Demons. This is all one big misunderstanding."

At this statement, John seemed to chuckle slightly as he said, "You say you are not Dream Demons, and yet you are in my Garden. The only human who can enter here without being a vessel is the boy next to the Gatekeeper. Wouldn't that mean you would have to be vessels as well?"

James frantically shook his head and said, "We aren't vessels. We just got to this world, so how could we be vessels?"

At this statement, Merry and Yumeji's eyes widened. Merry asked, "You...just got to this world?"

When James nodded his head, Merry paled a little. She said to Yumeji and John, "I think...things are getting even worse then what they were before."

John finished her thought for her and said with curiosity in his tone, "Dream Demons who do not need vessels to exist physically in the Real World. Though, they continue to claim they are human. That is cause for curiosity in itself." He chuckled again, then pointed his guillotine sword at the two and said, "Perhaps I should see which statement is the truth."

Before anyone could stop him, John dashed toward James and Lisette. He could tell that something about the two figures in front of him wasn't quite human, yet not like any Dream Demon he had seen before. But, he could tell that the girl, Lisette she had been called, seemed to be the weaker of the two figures, and in theory would have been easiest to kill. After only a few seconds, John closed the distance and brought his sword down to cut through the top of the girl's skull.

His attack was intercepted by another sword. This time, it was one that looked like a massive broadsword, but it was bathed in pure black flames. The two swords were at a perfect standstill, until John decided to break away and jumped back. As he watched the boy, he saw something quite interesting and strange: the boy's clothes were shimmering and changing, becoming armor that was pure white. In the boy's other hand was another sword, this time a katana that had the blade encased in some kind of black ice. He then held the two swords in a dual fighting stance that John had never seen before; the katana was held vertically while the broadsword was held horizontally, the blade of the katana going over the broadsword.

James locked eyes with John, then stated in a tone of raw anger and hatred that did not fit with the kindness his silver eyes radiated, "I will not allow any harm to befall the ones I love. You, will pay for even attempting it. You will pay, with your life!" And in that moment, James dashed toward John.

(John's P.O.V.)

Things certainly would becoming interesting. This boy claimed to be a human, yet he was able to summon weapons much like how Engi Threepiece could call upon her sword. His weapons also radiated with great power, so it was more then possible he and the girl were the first Dream Demons that could enter the Real World without the need of a vessel.

However, I was brought out of my thoughts when the boy's swords were upon me. I had to admit, despite wearing a full suit of armor and being so large in size, the boy had amazing speed. However, I was still faster. He would swing his swords at me with ferocious speed and intent to kill, but I would intercept with my own blade. This did go on for some time though, not that I cared.

Suddenly, the boy broke away and we once again stood facing each other. He then smiled at me in a sickly way and said, "Well, it would seem you are out one weapon."

I looked at the boy with confusion, the expression on my mask doing what most would deem impossible and turing into a frown as I asked, "What do you mean, boy?"

He simply pointed at my sword with his own, and when I pulled it up, I was shocked at what I saw. The blade was in ruin, some parts having melted off and others having been frozen solid and broken off like glass. I looked at this boy with even more interest as he had somehow managed to damage my blade. 'He is clearly not all as he appears to be,' was all I could think at the moment.

Suddenly, the two swords the boy held vanished. I was about to question that, when out of nowhere a small hammer with a rectangular metal head appeared in his hand, seemingly crackling with black lightning. He then proceeded to throw the hammer right at my face. I easily dodged the attack, but stayed where I was. With no weapon now, I could not risk a direct attack. Of course, my cats would be here soon enough, responding to my being in danger and would attack for me.

Before that even had a chance to happen though, the Gatekeeper suddenly screamed at me, "Cat Mask, the hammer! It's coming back!" I turned around so as to look at the Gatekeeper, only to suddenly be met with the same hammer the boy had thrown crashing into my right leg, knocking me down. Luckily the leg was not broken, but it would probably be some time before I could fight properly again.

But, I never got the chance to even stand back up, when the ground around me suddenly turned into quicksand, only for it to return to normal after I had sunken into it. I looked back at the boy, and was met with the boy's face again. In his right hand was the hammer, but in his left hand there was a shield which seemed to made entirely out of rocks and dirt, and glowed with a gentle brown aura of power. The boy proceeded to stand over my currently trapped form, and then with lightning fast speed the boy swung his hammer at my face, breaking part of my mask, as well as some of the bones in my face. I lowered my head in exception of my fate, but kept my eyes on the boy the entire time.

He proceeded to point the hammer at my head, and I could swear I saw it spark with black lightning. He then said to me, "You could have avoided this, had you not tried to hurt the ones I loved."

I remained silent, knowing I was doomed then and there. Even if my army appeared now, I would not be able to switch places with any of them fast enough. Even if I did, it probably would not make much of a difference. I heard the hammer spark, and felt the air around me start to heat up as the lightning in the hammer prepared to be launched at me. However, a second before the attack came for me, I heard a voice shout out, "Lovers!"

(Yumeji's P.O.V.)

Merry and I could only watch as that boy who claimed to human went toe-to-toe with John Doe. I was stunned to see that each time John's blade made contact with one of the boy's swords, the metal seemed to either bubble of freeze over, until the entire thing was a useless mess. Then, he threw a hammer at the agile Nightmare, only for it to come sailing back and knock John over, despite Merry's warning. Now, John was waist deep in the ground of his own Daydream, and could not escape. His cat army was still not here, and without them he could not escape and continue fighting.

But, despite this, I could not let John die. He was our ally, and we would need his help in getting Merry back home to the Dream World, and her duty as Gatekeeper. So, on impulse I lifted up my right hand and said, "I'll have to borrow that power." My right pupil then changed into the shape of an H as I called out, "Lovers!" I swung my right hand in an arch, and suddenly a hand that had no arm attached to it appeared and smashed into the boy's face with its fist clenched. This action seemed to make the white haired girl scream, but I ignored that and focused on the boy.

He looked at me, and while I was still shocked to see that kindness coming from his silver eyes, I also saw deep beneath that a level of anger that was now directed at me. He proceeded to say in an angry tone, "Very well then, you can die first." And with that, he was upon me.

The boy pointed his hammer at me, and suddenly arches of black lightning raced at me, barely giving me time to call out, "Maze!" A large doll suddenly appeared and intercepted the lightning attack, though it was destroyed in the process. However, the boy then dashed at me and held his hammer up and at the ready. At the last moment, my right pupil changed into the familiar stitch-like pattern that were John's pupils, and I swung his guillotine sword up to meet the hammer. I had a weapon now, but it also limited me to using the sword only; I could not use more then one power of the Lucid Gadget at a time.

What followed was a very one-sided battle. This boy had unnatural speed, and it made me wonder how John could have dodged his attacks so easily. I was hard pressed just to intercept his attacks, and when I did I was amazed at how much strength was behind each strike. This kind of physical power seemed to rival that of some Dream Demons.

Everything only got worse, when the boy managed to hit my left side with his hammer, sending me flying through the air. I then crashed into one of the buildings that was in the Daydream, and laid in a heap against the wall, vision blurry. The last thing I saw before passing out was the boy pointing his hammer at me. I saw the lightning start to leave the hammer, but after that everything went black.

(third person P.O.V.)

James pointed his hammer at the unconscious Yumeji, and the black lightning raced into his body. The moment that this happened, his entire body began to spasm and he screamed on reflex. Then, it all suddenly stopped. Yumeji's body laid there, seemingly lifeless. James then turned back to face John.

While all of this was going on, Lisette had been hiding behind a different building from the one Yumeji had flown into. She was stunned to see the man she loved change so drastically. The tall, cat-like demon had been about to bring his blade down onto her head, and James had acted in her defense. Before she ran for cover, she had seen the anger that had formed in his eyes for anyone trying to harm her. It sparked a feeling of love in her, and in Lieselotte as well, to know that he truly did care for her enough to protect her, and not to simply rely on her immortality to keep her safe.

However, what happened next was something that would shake the very foundations of this battle. Merry, who had watched as Yumeji challenged James to protect John Doe, could only watch as the boy who had become her hopes and dreams get electrocuted and seemingly died. She screamed out in utter sadness, tears flying from her eyes, "Yumeji!" Then, she changed. A white ring of light appeared above Merry's head, and worked its way down her body. As this happened, a second key ring appeared in her left hand, and each ring now had four keys on it. Also, as if blown away by some unknown wind, Merry's hat fell from her head and onto the ground. When she looked at James, her face was void of all emotion. With her own hopes and dreams destroyed, the Gatekeeper's full power was unleashed.

James felt the change in the atmosphere, and turned his attention to Merry. When he saw the emotionless look in her green eyes, he seemed to realize just what he had done. He knew who all these people he had fought were. He knew the (formally) masked figure was Chaser John Doe, and he knew that the orange haired boy was Yumeji Fugiwara. And he knew that the now emotionless girl with purple hair was the Gatekeeper of Dreams, and she was using her full power; a power that was supposed to be undeniable and unstoppable, a power that he would have no hope of surviving because he could tell that his natural immunities to harm had gone when he was pulled into John's Daydream, just like when he was inside a Reality Marble. He had been so blinded by his anger at Lisette being attacked, he did not realize what he was doing until it was too late. As he finally started to come out of his rage induced state, all he could say was, "Oh, fuck."

He didn't even manage to say anything beyond those two words, because in that moment Merry was upon him with a speed that rivaled John's by an unbelievably insane factor. She brought her fist clean into James's abdomen, and he was sent flying with ease. Even with his armor on, James had still felt that hit, and it hurt like hell as he flew through the air, only to crash into another building and cause the entire structure to collapse on top of him.

As all this happened, Merry simply whispered in a robotic tone of voice, "I have no hopes. I have no dreams." She made her way over to James, who only laid in a pile of rubble as he struggled to get up, despite his best efforts. It was almost as if his strength had left him when Merry had delivered her punch. When the Gatekeeper reached James though, her face was still void of all emotion. Then, in a single, swift motion, she punched James clean in the face, breaking his nose in the process. She then held out her right hand, keys shaking as she did, and said to him, "Now, die."

Webs of white energy suddenly appeared on James's armored body, and he screamed in agony. The energy that Merry was using was sapping whatever strength James still had, and he could feel his life force draining. His vision became blurry, and before he lose consciousness, the last thing he saw was was Merry's emotionless face.

(Lisette's P.O.V.)

I could only watch as that girl in the odd clothes with purple hair managed to beat James in only two punches. He had appeared as such a physically strong person in this form. But, what I saw was unbelievable. I said to myself, "James, no, you can't lose."

I then heard a horrible screaming sound. I watched from my hiding spot as white lines like spiderwebs appeared on his body, and I watched as he screamed out in agony. Only a few minutes later, the webs vanished, and James was silent. I was so scared, but then I heard Lieselotte shout at me in my mind, "Go to him you fool!"

I was scared, but I listened to my other self. I ran passed the purple haired girl, then fell to my knees and shook James's body. His eyes were closed, almost like he was sleeping. I called his name, "James? James, please get up. Please, wake up."

I became more and more frantic with every second that passed, growing more and more fearful by the second. All the while, Lieselotte remained silent, she and I thinking the same thing. 'James, you can't be...dead.'

I lowered my head to his mouth, trying to hear if he was breathing. I heard nothing. I grew unimaginably afraid when I realized this, and put my head on his chest, trying to hear his heart beating, but if it was beating then I did hear it.

I didn't want to believe it, and I slumped back onto my knees and pointlessly tried to shake him away. I cried out, tears running from my eyes as I shouted, "James! Get up! You can't be dead! James!"

(third person P.O.V.)

It was useless. Not even a day after having found her only love in life, and he had already left her in death. Even as Lisette continued to try and get my love to respond, Lieselotte spoke to her within her mind, "He...promised that we would be together. He promised we would never be alone again. We...fell in love with him. He loved us. And now..."

When she next shouted out, it was as if Lisette and Lieseotte were speaking as one. We screamed, "JAMES!"

As they screamed though, Lisette's vision began to go dark. The world around her became enveloped in darkness, and she heard Lieselotte say, "I cannot live without him now. Without James, the world is worthless. Without him, all worlds are worthless." With every word that was spoken, Lisette felt herself falling into darkness, losing my sense of control over her body. Before she slipped away from control though, she heard Lieselotte speak using her mouth. Lisette heard her say, "All worlds...will suffer!"

* * *

**And there you have it. After several months the first chapter of this story is finished. I would like to apologize to those who have been waiting for this story. But, even now I am currently locked in a battle with writers block. Unlike my last story, updates for this story will be more on a monthly, or even a bi-monthly basis. Again, I am sorry, but there isn't much I can do about it at the moment.**

**For those of you who might be wondering who James, Lisette and Lieselotte are, just know that they are going to be playing a part in this story. I have a bio of James on my profile. As for Lisette and Lieselotte, they are characters who are from the world of 11eyes. For specific info you might have to dig a little bit, but they are interesting characters. To know how James, Lisette and Lieselotte got to the Yumekui Merry world, you will need to read my last story.**

**Anyway, please leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Yumekui Merry. All rights belong to Ushiki Yoshitaka.**

**Sorry for the long wait, but writers block is still being a pain. Anyway, on to chapter two.**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Fatal Mistake - Part 2

Merry had watched the little girl try to awaken the boy with disinterest and no emotion at all. She did not know why he had not gone back to the Dream World as he should have. If he was truly a Dream Demon as she thought, then he should have gone back with the first punch. However, that was of little consequence to her now. This did not change the fact that Yumeji was seemingly dead, and now she had one last job to do: send the girl back to the Dream World.

Before she could even get close to the little girl though, Merry heard her scream out in sorrow, "JAMES!" The moment this happened, things started to get even weirder then they already were. The shadows began to twist and wreath, as if trying to escape the confines of their owners. Then, that is exactly what they did. All around Merry and John, shadows tore themselves from their points of origin, and even their own shadows joined in the fray, as they all headed toward Lisette. The shadows collected together, and formed a cocoon around her. This cocoon of shadow began to move and twist with darkness clearly visible around them.

Then, the shadow cocoon began to crack, and then exploded. All the shadows burst away and began returning to where they had come from. Kneeling in front of the seemingly dead boy was the same girl, but at the same time not the same girl. Her hair was now just barely darker, having a sort of ashy white color to it. Her dress had become dark purple and black in color, and her shoes had disappeared entirely. When she opened her eyes, instead of the gentle blue that had been seen in them before, they were now a harsh crystal green with slitted pupils. She then said in a tone filled with sorrow and heartache, "All worlds...will suffer!"

The moment those words passed the girl's lips, the entire world began to shake with power. John, who was still stuck in the ground, could feel something was wrong with his Daydream. He started seeing triple, and colors began to become distorted. All he could ask at that moment was, "Just what are these two? They claim to be humans, and yet have strength that no human could ever have. What is the truth behind this?"

John was not able to say anything else though, because suddenly the entire Daydream cracked like glass, and then the entire world blew apart. When John and Merry were able to see again, they saw something strange. John's Daydream had not disappeared, but at the same time it was not the same as it had once been. The entire sky was now a blood red color, and a red haze filled the area. There was clearly a dark presence in this place, but it could not be placed exactly. Then, when John looked into the sky, he was genuinely shocked at what he saw; hovering in the sky of his Daydream was a black moon. Underneath that dark moon was a black stone pillar, the moon resting on the tip as if it was a perfectly balanced ball, but would fall off from the slightest of things. Then, the ground started to shake violently. John and Merry turned their eyes to the tower, and watched as it began to crumble. Large pieces of black stone began to fall off of the tower and crash to the ground, crushing some of the buildings in the process. By the time it was over, only half of the pillar still stood. In that moment, a grey mist began to rise up and flow toward the black moon. The girl then started to laugh insanely before saying, "I won't allow this world, or any world, to exist without the one I love." She looked down at Merry, and then the girl's face was set into a small frown. She continued, "You killed my new love. You took him away from me not even a day after he had saved me and I became his. For that, you will get the honor of dying by my own hand." She then held out her right hand, and a green pentagram formed in front of her, the symbol rotating slightly. She then said, "I am Lieselotte Werckmeister, the immortal Witch of Babylon. And you...will pay for what you have done!"

(Lieselotte's P.O.V.)

I would not allow any world to exist after this. I had already lost one love (who had never actually loved me) when Verard was assassinated. I had spent the better part of 500 years alone after that, only to find new love in James. He managed to save me from myself, and stopped me from unleashing Hell Fall. When he had explained his origins, and his family, the Families of Light and Darkness, he had said that he could not be killed without items of extremely great magic power. Nothing short of a fragment of the Emerald Tablet, or a weapon infused with the powers of a demon, could actually harm him. Yet, this girl...no, this monster, had taken away my new love when not even a full day had passed after I had found him. To lose him so soon and so quickly...left me with a heartache the likes of which I never wanted to feel. And now, without him, I did not want to exist at all. I did not, and I would not, spend the rest of my immortal life alone again. I told this girl that she would pay, and I would make sure of it. Before the Hell Fall consumed this world, I would make sure that she suffered. When I was done with her, then I would make sure that this world, and every other world, would suffer. If there were others worlds then the one I knew, then it just meant that destroying one would be meaningless. No, I would have all worlds, and all possible timelines of those worlds, consumed by their own Hell Fall. Even if it destroyed me, I would make sure that no world remained when I was done.

I held out my hand, and a green pentagram formed in front of me. Then, I said to her, "I am Lieselotte Werckmeister, the immortal Witch of Babylon. And you...will pay for what you have done!" A massive stream of fire then flew from the magic symbol. The girl merely raised her right hand, the keys on her little ring defying gravity and lifting up to meet my spell. She then looked up at me, and I could the emotionlessness in her eyes. I could see how she did not care in the slightest for what she had done. That only further fueled my rage. It only made me more determined to see her suffer.

As my fire spell raced at the girl, I was slightly surprised to see that she still regarded everything with that emotionless expression. I believed that she was simply acting brave and stupid, but then something happened. As the fire made contact with the keys, the spell was suddenly stopped in its tracks. It then burst into nothing and the magic dissipated into the air. I could only widen my eyes in genuine shock. Never in my life had I seen someone disrupt my magic so easily, or in such a way. It just wasn't possible that someone could have this kind of power to face my magic, and the magic of the Voidstone, with such ease.

It only angered me more.

So, I decided that for the time being I would fight up close, and take pleasure in ripping her head off with my own two hands. My nails grew into long, black claws. In the next moment I manipulated the cells of my body, and vanished before the girl's eyes. Only to reappear behind her. I began to laugh as I brought my hand down to rip her head from her neck, only to be met with a hand catching mine at the wrist. I was shocked at what had just happened, and was in fact so stunned that I did not even try to dodge when the girl turned around and swung her own fist into my chest, keys gangling as her fist made contact. I could feel the power behind that punch, which was a surprise in itself because she did not appear to be all that physically strong. I could actually feel some of the bones in my chest break, before the blow sent my flying into the wall of one of the buildings in this strange place that my Reality Marble had taken hold in.

It didn't take more then a few seconds though before I stood back up. The power of the Voidstone would not allow me to die for any reason, and so my body simply regenerated and I took to the air. As she looked up at me with those emotionless green eyes, which oddly made me think of a sheep, I simply began to laugh. "So, a little human with more power then she rightfully deserves? You will be no different then hundreds of others that I have slaughtered in the past." With that, I began to unleash several more fire blasts. I did not care what happened anymore. At this point, all I was doing was stalling for Hell Fall to be completed. Once that was done, it would be the end of everything in this world.

(third person P.O.V.)

As Lieselotte sent her fire spells to take down Merry, the Gatekeeper remained where she was, not even trying to dodge or anything. She simply said to herself, "I have no hopes, or dreams." Once again she raised her hand, and once again the fire hit her keys. They burst into nothing, just as they had done the last time, but this time Lieselotte was ready. As the fire magic vanished, she flew down at Merry with incredible speed, nails in the form of black claws as she tried to claw at the one who had taken her love away from her.

However, this time Merry did begin to dodge. She would move only fast enough to get out of the way at the last minute, almost as if she was toying with the Witch of Babylon, though it looked more like she didn't really care. This only infuriated Lieselotte more, that someone would fight her as if it wasn't even a big deal. It all added to the anger she felt from James's death, and made her more determined to kill.

After about fifteen minutes of fighting, Lieselotte managed to hit Merry. Well, she didn't hit Merry, but she did manage to claw off the white overshirt that Merry was wearing. However, this only confused Lieselotte. 'How is she doing this,' she thought. 'I've never met a human that could fight like this. Just what is going on here?'

At that moment, white energy webs appeared and bound Lieselotte's arms to her body. The Witch of Babylon looked at her opponent, who was slowly making her way over to Lieselotte without much care at all. Once Merry stood before the immortal witch, she simply rose her hand and said blankly, "Now, die." Merry then punched Lieselotte right through the chest, her hand coming out through her back.

Merry pulled her hand out of Lieselotte's body, only to have a look of confusion on her face when the wound closed in less then a second. When she saw this, Merry realized she would need to unleash the fullest extent of her powers if she wanted to defeat this witch.

Suddenly, the sky began to crack, almost as if it was being forced open by something. Then, two doors swung open, and a massive gate appeared. Above the doors was a unique symbol that resembled that of a closed eye. This gate then began to emanate a sort of energy, as if it was trying to pull everyone and everything that did not belong in this world into it, passed the white expanse that could be seen behind it. However, the doors of this gate had missing pieces in it, almost as if it was falling apart. Even now, the doors were cracking apart more and more. It was the boundary between the Real World and Dream World: the Dream Gate.

When Lieselotte saw the Gate, she only laughed. "This is the true extent of your powers then? That gate looks like it could shatter at a moment's notice."

Merry disregarded the comment, then brought her fist up to attack; this time, she was aiming for Lieselotte head, preparing to remove it with one punch. However, before she even got the chance to do that, she felt something come down on her head. Her eyes were then shadowed slightly as a familiar hat was placed on her head. Her eyes remained emotionless for only a second, and then they began to regain the light that they had once had. As this happened, the Dream Gate began to fade away, and her second keyring began to break up, while three of the four keys on her remaining keyring also broke up. She turned around with a look of surprise visible on her face, and saw a familiar boy standing behind her. "I told you already, there is no way I would die without going through with something I've decided," Yumeji told her with a look of determination in his eyes.

Upon seeing Yumeji, Merry's eyes began to overflow with tears, just as they had when she thought he had died in the battle against Pharos Heracles. However, she did her best to save face and simply pulled her hat down a little before leaning against his chest and saying, "I told you...don't make me worry like that. I can't remember what I was doing, but I think it was just like what happened with the Lighthouse Man."

Suddenly, John Doe, who was still stuck in the ground and had remained silent for all of what had transpired since the strange change to his Daydream, said from a few meters away, "Once again, you never cease to amaze me, boy. No matter what happens to you, you always seem to get back up from the worst of blows."

Yumeji simply scratched the back of his head nervously and said, "Yeah, I guess that's true." He then grew serious and asked, "But, John, what happened to your Daydream?" He then looked up at the sky, and very nearly fell on his rear end in shock and slight fear. He was staring up at a massive black moon (which was now more then ten times the size it had been before), and that moon was only growing larger and larger by the moment. Yumeji asked in utter shock, "What the hell is that thing?!"

At this question, Lieselotte began to laugh once more. She broke free of her bonds with ease (now that Merry's power was gone), and floated up into the air. "This is the end of your little world. You took away the man I love after I had only just found him. He managed to save me from myself and stopped me from unleashing this upon the world. Now though, this world will pay the price for what that foolish girl has done to me. Hell Fall will consume everything, and then I will move on and destroy another world, and then another, and another, until all the worlds and all possible timelines of those worlds are destroyed." She then smiled a small, false smile and continued, "But, since you all seem so eager to face your end, I will spare you the horror of death by Hell Fall." She then lifted her hands above her head, and began to chant. As she did, wisps of dark magic energy gathered above her head and hands, forming a small black and red orb. As the dark energy gathered, the shadows around Yumeji and Merry began to rise up, and out of the shadows there came strange, blob-like creatures wiht black halos above their heads and blueish tentacles for arms. The creatures formed a circle around Yumeji, Merry, and a still trapped John Doe, closing off all their escape routes.

As Lieselotte chanted, the spell grew larger and larger, red lightning sparking from the orb. She was preparing an Omnium Principa.

* * *

(James's P.O.V.)

I don't know how long I laid on the ground. Be it only a few minutes or several years, I just didn't know. But, eventually, I began to regain consciousness. As I did though, I could not help but groan in pain. I had just experience the power of the Gatekeeper of Dreams; the power of Merry Nightmare. I just couldn't believe it, and yet that is exactly what had happened. Lisette and I had been accused of being Dream Demons, and Chaser John Doe had taken us to his Daydream so that he could fight us. I was prepared to kill him for attempting to hurt Lisette, and then turned that rage onto the one I knew was Yumeji Fujiwara when he tried to protect John. I realized too late what I had done, and had paid the price for it.

After a few minutes, I managed to get over the major headache I had developed. It was painfully clear to me that Daydreams functioned similarly to Reality Marbles, as I had been hurt when inside John's Daydream. If I ever ran into more Dream Demons, I would have to be especially careful.

Once my vision had cleared up though, I was confused. I expected to be back in the Daydream, but that was not the case. Instead, I was facing a massive stone wall. I turned my head, and found another wall behind me. I was in a hallway that stretched in two directions, so far that I could not see the ends. After a few more moments, my eyes widened in horror at realizing where I was. "No," was all I could say. "No. No. No! No! I can't be back here! Not again!" But no matter how much I wished it, I knew I was in the last place I would ever want to be. I was in a place that none could escape. A place in which the walls were ever changing and shifting. A place I had only ever been to once before, and only just barely managed to escape. I was in the inner reaches of my mind.

I just slumped against the wall behind me with my head in my hands. Most people don't even know the true inner reaches of their minds. Without the proper knowledge, you would not even know that your mind is a place in which you are safest, and a place in which none can cause you harm. But, that is not the case for me. My mind, is an abomination. After sixteen years of changing forms, my mind has become an unstable place that none should be able to escape. My mind was once a blank expanse, with nothing in it but a stone floor that stretched infinitely. However, with every time I change form, a wall would spring up in the expanse. My mind slowly became a maze. A living maze at that, for the walls would shift and move, changing position with ease and making the odds of escape only that much lower. The first time I was here was on my thirteenth birthday. I had simply lost consciousness without warning, and ended up here. According to my mother and father, I was in a coma for almost three months, though it felt much longer to me. In that time, I learned the true nature of what my mind was, and it still scares me.

However, that is not even the true horror of my mind. This maze, is a prison. It is not a prison for me, or for any other unfortunate soul who might end up here. No, it is a prison for a much darker creature. A creature who would love nothing more then to destroy the world with the powers of the Families of Light and Darkness.

This creature, is me, and yet not me. It is my inner madness, born from my changing of forms and growing more and more insane with every second. It wanders the maze, searching for the exit so that it can consume me and destroy everything. I swore to myself that nobody would ever learn of this, for fear that they would try (and fail) to kill me. My parents never knew what their union and my birth brought upon the world, and I will be dead before I ever let Lisette or Lieselotte know just what I am, as I do not want them to worry about me over something that cannot be stopped.

But, once I started thinking about Lisette and Lieselotte, my head snapped back up. What would they be thinking right now? They were probably devastated, and thought I was dead. Once that thought crossed my mind though, something strange happened. The air in front of me rippled, and suddenly I saw Lisette shaking something, which I soon realized was my body, and shouting, "James! Get up! You can't be dead! James!" Then, after a while, she just stopped. She slumped a little in what was obviously sadness, and I could see her shaking and tears running down her face. Then, she screamed out, "JAMES!" When this happened, I watched as a cocoon made out of shadows began to form around Lisette's body. When the cocoon broke, I was completely shocked with what I was seeing. Lieselotte had broken free of my seal. The last thing I saw was her crystal green eyes looking down at me, sorrow and heartache clearly visible in them. Then, the air rippled again and the scene disappeared completely.

I just sat there for a moment, completely shocked. My seal had failed, and Lieselotte was free again. But, something about the way she had broken free of the seal didn't seem right. Only I should have been able to undo the seal. But then, a thought came to my mind. 'What if...her grief is allowing her to free herself?' When that thought crossed my mind, my eyes widened in shock and horror. 'If that's the case, then she could go crazy again, just like when Verard was killed. I have to get to her and calm her down before she completely destroys this world. I have to get out of here!' However, that would be easier said then done. My mind was a maze that seemed unsolvable. Regardless, I had to help Lieselotte and Lisette now, before it was too late. So, with a deep breath, I stood up and turned to the left, before running off in that direction.

(third person P.O.V.)

James ran for what he thought was hours, but really he had no idea how long he had been running. He would turn corners and take passages at random. He knew that there was no way to know if he was going in the right direction, because the walls never betrayed a secret to solving the maze. On his first trip here, James had tried to leave marks in the walls so as to make sure he didn't end up going in circles. It didn't work. The maze almost seemed to think for itself, and it had shifted so that no matter where he went he ended up doubling back to where he had been. The maze seemed to _know_ that he wanted out, and so its walls would always change; one moment the way may have been clear, but the next time he returned to that particular chamber a passage might have disappeared.

So it was now, three years later. The maze was just a random mess, with no rhyme or reason to it at all. It had no pattern, and it had no secrets or tricks to figure it out. It was seemingly alive, almost as if it could detect the desperation in him to escape and save the ones he loved. Of course, that wasn't entirely false either. The maze was, in a sense, alive. However, it wasn't trying to keep James in, but rather it was trying to keep his madness from getting out. James had met his madness once, when he first entered his mind those three years ago.

It had nearly killed him. He ran and ran, but no matter where he went in the maze the madness would always find him again. The madness was trying to kill James, because he was the last barrier that would keep it from truly escaping. Should the madness escape, James's own soul and consciousness would be able to restrain it for enough time that the maze would close around it again. However, if James's consciousness were to be consumed, then the madness would only have to escape the maze once and then it would be free. Unlike James, who was limited to using the powers, abilities, and skills of each of his forms during a certain time of day, the madness was not limited in this way. During the day it could use magic, and at night it could fight in a physical battle. It was an ultimate and unstoppable killing machine, and it wanted blood.

That was another reason why James had to escape again. If he didn't, the madness would destroy his consciousness that now resided in the maze and searched for the exit so that he could return to his body and save Lieselotte.

After what felt like four hours of running though, James had to stop and catch his breath. Even in his Day form, James could not simply run endlessly, no matter how much he wished he could. He leaned against a wall, breathing heavily in exhaustion from all his running. However, there was only one thing that he could think at the moment. 'I have to get out of here...and save the ones I love.' However, he knew that was easier said then done. He had no idea how long it would be before Lieselotte unleashed Hell Fall, and he could not allow her to destroy this world over his 'death'.

So, after only a minute of waiting, James once again began running. He ran through corridor after corridor, turned left and right so many times until it was impossible to know where he was going anymore. It was said that there was a trick to mazes and labyrinths: always turn left, and only turn right when you had no other choice. He knew this would not work for his mind, for he had already known of this trick before coming here the first time. The maze learned, so as to make sure his madness could be trapped forever. Everything he knew, the maze knew, so that way it could plan for all possible means of escape from the madness, as it also knew all of the tricks for escape that James knew. He was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He had no idea where he was going, and he next to no hope of escape.

After stopping again to catch his breath, James just punched the wall he was leaning against in anger. "Why? God damn it, why?! Of all the places I could have ended up in, why did I have to come here? Damn it, I'll never make it out in time to save Lieselotte from unleashing Hell Fall." James was so distraught and angry at himself, he almost felt like just lying against that wall and crying until he died. 'It isn't as if I have any other options,' was what he thought to himself as his pain began to make him stop caring about trying to escape. He had spent three months in here last time, and had only escaped by pure chance. What hope did he have of finding the exit now?

Suddenly, a small, child-like voice could be heard, laughing. James's head snapped up at this, and he turned his attention to the voice. Walking up to him was a little boy. His hair was peppered black and white, with streaks of both colors running through his hair randomly. His was only about 5'2" and not too muscular. He wore blue jeans, a brown silk shirt, and was completely barefoot. However, there was one feature of the boy that set Devyn on edge: the boy's eyes were a pitch black, like voids that sucked in all light. The boy just continued to walk toward James's slowly, still laughing his little insane laugh. Upon seeing the boy though, James's eyes widened in horror. He quickly got back on his feet, and then began to run again. 'No,' he thought frantically as he ran away from the child. 'No, not him. Anything but him.' James just kept running, knowing he needed to escape, lest he be consumed by the boy. However, no matter how fast he ran, he could always hear that sick laughter bouncing off the walls of the maze. He needed to escape now, or else his madness would destroy him.

(James's P.O.V.)

I ran frantically to escape my madness. If it caught me, it would destroy my consciousness. If that were to happen, it would basically have a free ticket to cause as much havoc as it desired, and I couldn't let that happen. He would never stop killing, never stop destroying, and just never stop in general. I feared that 'thing' because it help the promise of death and destruction. On top of that, the power I felt from it rivaled that of the Ancients, the five oldest and most powerful members of the Family of the Darkness. If he got free, nothing short of the Great White God would be able to stop him, and a part of me felt like maybe even He wouldn't be able to do it.

As I kept running though, I suddenly heard his voice speak, almost as if he was right behind me the whole time even though I knew it was not the case (I hoped). It sounded like a mix of knives grinding against stone and the screech of some poor, dying animal as he spoke, "Little James, why do you run? You know it is only a matter of time before I escape. One way or another I will find a way out of this infernal maze, and then make it past your own consciousness. Oh, I can already smell the blood, and can already hear the screams as the innocent people run for their pathetic lives. Won't it be wonderful, little James?"

I did my best to ignore my madness. I couldn't let him get to me, because if I did then he would be able to kill me. But, as I knew that I would never be truly safe until I escaped my mind. That seemed hopeless though, given that I was running randomly through the maze with my madness slowly following me, and I could have sworn I had run past at least one of these corridors twice now.

Suddenly though, as if someone was taking pity on me, I saw a bright white light. All I could was continue running, but with a small surge of joy as I shouted, "Oh thank merciful God!" Maybe the maze was taking pity on me, or maybe I had actually found the exit. Either way, I just kept on running toward the light, knowing from the last time I was here that this was the exit. I would have been concerned with my madness escaping, if it weren't for the fact that it had suddenly stopped laughing, almost as if it knew that it had lost its chance to kill me. Whether that was true or not, I didn't care. All I wanted was to leave this horrible maze, and never return. So, I dashed into the light. For a moment everything was white around me, and I couldn't see anything else. Then, I woke up.

* * *

(third person P.O.V.)

Slowly, James managed to open his eyes. When he did, the world seemed to be spinning. After a few minutes though, everything finally managed to come back into focus, and that is when he realized what was going on.

He could tell he was back in his Night form for one thing; his link to his magic core now stronger then it was before. However, when he looked up at the sky, his face slightly paled; the sky was blood red and a black orb was growing in the sky, getting larger and larger by the second. Then, he heard the laughing. James's looked above him, and could see the familiar black and purple dress of Lieselotte. When he looked at her though, he could see the black and red orb of magic power that was growing in her hands: an Omnium Principa.

Upon seeing the forbidden Larvae spell, James knew he needed to get to her and help her. If he didn't, then things would not end well. Devyn closed his eyes for a second, and then suddenly all of the rubble that was keeping him pinned to the ground levitated off of his body. He pulled himself up, dusted off his brown robes, then summoned his rod to his right hand and his staff from his left hand, drawing them from the magic storage that he used to keep all his magic tools and instruments close at hand when he needed them, but not being overly cumbersome.

As James was about to fly up to try and speak with Lieselotte to get her to stop, he heard a familiar sound. It was a sound like a fog horn, but was a lot louder and seemed to induce slight fear. He turned in the direction of the sound, and saw the forms of several blob monsters, larvaes, surrounding the forms of the people he knew were Yumeji and Merry, as well as the form of John Doe, who was still in stuck in the ground from when James used his Earthen Shield. James just sighed, then pointed his staff at the creatures and shouted, "Begone!" The creatures turned to regard him, but only for a split second before the sigils on his staff flared with a bright white light, and the creatures burst into black dust.

When the monsters suddenly burst into dust, Yumeji and Merry were very confused. Then, James said, "You know, you two really don't know what you have just unleashed, do you?"

Both Yumeji and Merry turned to face Devyn, but both of them were confused. Yumeji asked, "Who are you?"

Merry then asked, "And what's going on? What's with the black moon that's getting bigger?"

James just sighed, then looked up at the growing black moon. He then told them, "I am known as James Mellenor, and that black moon will destroy the entire world if I don't get Lieselotte to calm down." Before either Yumeji or Merry could reply to that though (as they were both still very much confused), James immediately took to the air, flying up to Lieselotte. As he got closer to her, he called out to her, "Lieselotte, stop this! Stop this now!"

Lieselotte stopped laughin, then looked down. For a moment she couldn't seem to register that James was flying up to her, and was in his Night form. But, after a few moments, her eyes widened in shock. She broke her chant and asked in shock and hope, "James?"

When that word passed her lips though, the Omnium Principa above Lieselotte's head suddenly exploded due to her chant being broken. James was sent spinning through the air by the shockwave, while Merry and Yumeji were pushed against a nearby building and John just stared up at what had just happened with interest.

When the smoke cleared, Lieselotte could be seen still in the air, completely fine despite the fact that her forbidden spell had basically exploded right above her, but her eyes tearing up at the sight of James.

James then slowly flew over to her, and placed a hand on her cheek, trying to calm her down. All she could say though was, "B-But, you were dead. Your heart stopped."

James just gave her a gentle and loving smile and shook his head. "No, my love, I am not dead. The attack that knocked me out simply sent me within my own mind. It took some time, much more then I would have liked, but I am back. I am fine, so please stop this."

Upon hearing James's explanation, Lieselotte was silent for a few moments. Then, tears began to fall from her eyes in even greater amounts. She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and cried on his shoulder in happiness that he was still alive and hadn't left her alone.

As she cried, there was suddenly a sound like screaming. While Lieselotte cried, James turned his head to the black moon, and could not help but smile in relief. The grey mist that had been flowing into Hell Fall was now pouring out, making the spell shrink and lose its power. Once the black moon was back to a much smaller size, there was suddenly a massive shockwave that ran through the ground. James watched as several pieces of black stone floated up off the ground, and began to lock into place, rebuilding the partially collapsed tower. After about two or three minutes, the tower was finished in its reconstruction, the point of the tower striking the black moon so that it appeared as a perfectly balanced ball once more.

Then, slowly and steadily, James began to float back down to the ground, Lieselotte still holding onto him as if he would disappear if she let go while she continued to cry. Once they were on the ground though, James, still using his magic to remain in the air slightly so that he was eye level with Lieselotte, began to softly stroke her hair and whisper soothing words to her. "Don't worry Lieselotte, everything will be fine. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Lieselotte sobbing slowly came to a stop, and she lifted her head off of James's shoulder. Then, faster then he could have reacted, she slapped him across the face quite hard. James was shocked beyond comprehension, his cheek stinging slightly from the pain of the slap. Lieselotte then said in a harsh tone, "You'd better not make me worry like that again." Before James could reply though, Lieselotte crashed her lips onto his in a hard kiss filled with passion.

The kiss lasted for all of a minute before it was unfortunately interupted. Someone could be heard clearing their throat nervously. James and Lieselotte broke the kiss, only to see Yumeji, Merry, and a still stuck John Doe staring at the two in surprise, confusion, and in John's case, interest. Then, Yumeji asked, "Okay, what the heck is going on here?"

* * *

**And there you have it. Chapter two is finished at long last. Again, I apologize for the long wait, but this writers block is a pain in the ass. I will try to get over this as soon as possible, but until then the bi-monthly posts are still going on.**

**Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review. They make me feel like I'm doing something right.**


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